Baseball Game Preview: Steel Valley Ironmen vs. South Allegheny Gladiators

For the second straight game, Steel Valley will face off against South Allegheny. The Ironmen will challenge the Gladiators at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Steel Valley has given up an average of 6.9 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Monday just wasn't the day for Steel Valley's offense. They came up short against South Allegheny on Monday, falling 16-0. The Ironmen have struggled against the Gladiators recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

For South Allegheny's part, Josh Jackowski was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off seven hits. Jackowski has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Those hits marked the first that he has got this season.

In other batting news, Koltin Keener was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mason Campano, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.

South Allegheny always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

South Allegheny has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.4 runs over those games. As for Steel Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-9.